Misogynism in its most extreme form:

Five women ‘killed by tribal elders for dancing and singing with men at wedding party in remote Pakistani village’

As wedding scenes go, it is a rather sedate affair.

But four women who joined in the celebrations are thought to have paid with their lives.

They are feared to have been the victims of honour killings after dancing with men.

In scenes from the wedding, they are pictured in heavy robes and headdresses, sitting on the floor while singing and clapping.

Two men were apparently dancing next to them, while out of shot another person captures the moment on a mobile phone video camera.

Soon afterwards, the women were said to have been shot or had their throats cut for breaking local customs that prevent them from dancing with the opposite sex.

Another woman, said to have been ‘an accomplice’, was also allegedly executed. Last night officials in Pakistan were travelling to the remote north-western village of Kohistan to investigate the claims.

A tribal council of clerics – known as a Jirga – reportedly condemned the women to death for ‘fornication’ and staining their families’ names.

Their actions were said to have brought shame on the community, which frowns on men and women dancing together or fraternising at all.